MKs Respond to Netanyahu's Call for Early Elections

The decision to hold early elections has been met with a range of opinions from Knesset members

By Annie Lubin

First Publish: 10/9/2012, 10:09 PM

Netanyahu called for early elections Tuesday

Reuters

In a move that political insiders have been predicting for days, Benjamin Netanyahu called for early elections Tuesday night. Now, amid the official news, MKs are reacting and most are saying the news did not catch them by surprise.

According to one news outlet, Yesh Atid Party leader Yair Lapid said the call for early elections was proof of a flawed government system, saying the fact that Netanyahu couldn't pass a budget means the system must be changed to make it easier for all elected officials to work together and negotiate deals.

Kadima member Dalia Itzik told Israel Radio on Sunday that the call for early elections would not throw her party into a frenzy as she said the party and its leader, Shaul Mofaz, are ready for elections. Itzik also called out the Netanyahu-run government for having wasted the last four years living by the ethose of "sit down and do nothing."

Likud member Ofir Akunis was not caught off guard by Netanyahu's announcement, as he told Israel Radio on Sunday that the call for early elections was something that his party thought was more likely than the likelihood that Netanyahu would pass the budget.

Foreign Minister and Yisrael Beiteinu member Avigdor Lieberman said his party is "prepared for elections and will continue to earn more mandates with each election, as it has since its establishment," adding that his party "will continue to act as a dominant, influential and responsible factor in Israeli politics."